Enclosed spaces such as overhead luggage compartments in a passenger cabin ceiling or goods containers for food and freight in the loading space of an aircraft, are conventionally not sealed in an airtight manner so that any fires that might start in these enclosed spaces would be automatically smothered. Rather, leaks in the form of air flow passages, gaps and openings admit air and thus oxygen into the enclosed space thereby fueling the fire. That is a disadvantage. However, such leaks have the advantage that an early detection of a fire is possible because smoke generation is most intense at the beginning of a fire and the smoke can escape through these leaks, whereby an early visual detection is possible. The supply of air and thus oxygen applies particularly to overhead luggage compartments or bins and to containers that may be stored in a galley area or in the freight space of an aircraft. Fires that have started in these enclosed spaces have been known to expand with detrimental effects into the passenger cabin or into the freight space of an aircraft.
UK Patent Publication GB 2,107,182 A discloses various types of louvers for covering openings in buildings and in doors of buildings for air ventilation. These louvers are constructed with slats, the back side of which is coated with intumescent material for closing off the air flow channels formed between neighboring slats of the louver when the intumescent material is exposed to elevated temperatures sufficient to cause the intumescent material to expand. Since the expansion is uncontrolled, particularly with regard to the direction of expansion it is not always assured that the cross-sectional flow areas between two neighboring slats are completely sealed off. Thus, some air could still pass through the louvers.
German Patent Publication DE 36 12 377 A1 discloses a fire protection sealing tape in which a tape material is combined with one or more intumescent fire protection strands. The intumescent strands which expand their volume in response to a respective expansion temperature, are combined with the tape material in such a way, that the expansion of the intumescent material will expand the adhesive tape. These tapes have at least one adhesive outer surface. One or more intumescent material strands may be completely embedded in the tape material. Another conventional adhesive tape has a strand or strip of intumescent material positioned between two strips of tape material. The adhesive tape combined with an intumescent material strand or strands is installed in joints between neighboring sections of steel reinforced ceilings, walls, slots between lightweight construction walls, concrete ceilings and generally in gaps that must be closed. The main purpose of these conventional adhesive tapes is to prevent a fire that has started in one room from moving into neighboring rooms.
UK Patent Publication GB 2,277,871 A discloses a fire-resistant container in which a metal casing and its metal door are lined on the inside with layers of an intumescent adhesive, a heat resistant thermal insulating material, and an intumescent strip. The fire-resistant container is for example used to protect filing cabinets against a fire.
The above described conventional use of intumescent materials, particularly intumescent strips or strands or tapes, leaves room for improvement particularly for effectively using such materials in an aircraft.